character stats [Archive] - Wizards Community

character stats [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
cordyghast
01-15-08, 10:03 AM Me and my brother are new to the game. I bought the starter kit and i understand some of the basic rules and i played as some of the premade characters. i was wanting to make my own character but i dont really understand what some of the stats and abilities can someone please help me out a little bit.
Dog_O_War
01-15-08, 02:49 PM Me and my brother are new to the game. I bought the starter kit and i understand some of the basic rules and i played as some of the premade characters. i was wanting to make my own character but i dont really understand what some of the stats and abilities can someone please help me out a little bit.

Strength - abriviated to STR. As the name implies, this determines how strong your character is. This stat determines how much you can carry (details on chapter 9 of the player's handbook), and how well you hit and damage in melee (close) combat.

Dexterity - abreviated to DEX. This is your flexability, hand-eye coordination, and reaction time in combat. This stat determines a portion of you armour class, and how well you are at ranged combat. DEX does not (normally) apply to ranged damage, and with a feat you can use your DEX in place of STR to determine how well you hit in melee combat (but not damage).

Constitution - abreviated to CON. This is the determining factor to how tough and healthy your character is. High CON means more hit points per level, better fortitude saves, and bragging rights at the end of many a drinking contest.

Intelligence - abreviated to INT. This is how smart your character is. "Smartness" in D&D is translated directly into skill points, and how many you have. Smart people know more, so they can do more (skill-wise) in D&D. It is also the requisite stat for the iconic Wizard class. Higher INT makes for a better wizard (in theory. a character can have an 18 INT, but if the player of the character is pretty dumb, he won't seem all that smart).

Wisdom - abreviated to WIS. This is how inciteful and contemplative your character is. It is important for clerics, rangers, and druids because they all require atleast an 11 WIS to cast spells. This is also the stat that allows a character to call someones' bluff effectively, or to notice people attempting to be sneaky. The best descriptor of what WIS is like is a, "sixth sense".

Charisma - abreviated to CHA. This is how likeable your character is. It determines whether or not he's a wallflower or the leader. Many people also link charisma to beauty, but the two do not go hand in hand. It is also the requisite stat for Bards and Sorcerers.

These are the stats of D&D. Ask for more info on one and I'll explain further. To generate a set of stats for a character you will need a 6-sided dice. roll that dice 4 times for each stat, discarding the lowest number rolled for each set of 4. This will give you a number between 3 and 18, with an average result of 12-13. Each race can further mondify this number, taking in to a possible 1 or 20 (if you are only using what is in the PHB). INT however can never be modified to below 3 by racial penalties. If it would, it becomes 3.
When you roll stats, take each number you rolled and place it where you like (that is, each total number of a given set of 4 dice).

Once you've rolled stats, choose a race to be. There are advantages and disadvantages to each one.

Pick a character class from the PHB; read the abilities and perform them as appropriate for the situation.

You won't play the game perfectly the first try. Don't worry about it, no one does. It'll take quite some time to learn, but it is a very fun game to play with your friends and family. If it helps, think of it as acting, but with a game tied to it.

Also, someone will have to be the DM (or dungeon master) to run the game that you will be playing in. You might think this is the worst "job" for the game, but with time you will see that you get to lay out a story, play all the orcs and other badguys, as well as all the good guys your friends will meet.
cordyghast
01-15-08, 11:54 PM thanks a bunch this really helped out.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
cordyghast 01-15-08, 10:03 AM	Me and my brother are new to the game. I bought the starter kit and i understand some of the basic rules and i played as some of the premade characters. i was wanting to make my own character but i dont really understand what some of the stats and abilities can someone please help me out a little bit.
Dog_O_War 01-15-08, 02:49 PM	Me and my brother are new to the game. I bought the starter kit and i understand some of the basic rules and i played as some of the premade characters. i was wanting to make my own character but i dont really understand what some of the stats and abilities can someone please help me out a little bit. Strength - abriviated to STR. As the name implies, this determines how strong your character is. This stat determines how much you can carry (details on chapter 9 of the player's handbook), and how well you hit and damage in melee (close) combat. Dexterity - abreviated to DEX. This is your flexability, hand-eye coordination, and reaction time in combat. This stat determines a portion of you armour class, and how well you are at ranged combat. DEX does not (normally) apply to ranged damage, and with a feat you can use your DEX in place of STR to determine how well you hit in melee combat (but not damage). Constitution - abreviated to CON. This is the determining factor to how tough and healthy your character is. High CON means more hit points per level, better fortitude saves, and bragging rights at the end of many a drinking contest. Intelligence - abreviated to INT. This is how smart your character is. "Smartness" in D&D is translated directly into skill points, and how many you have. Smart people know more, so they can do more (skill-wise) in D&D. It is also the requisite stat for the iconic Wizard class. Higher INT makes for a better wizard (in theory. a character can have an 18 INT, but if the player of the character is pretty dumb, he won't seem all that smart). Wisdom - abreviated to WIS. This is how inciteful and contemplative your character is. It is important for clerics, rangers, and druids because they all require atleast an 11 WIS to cast spells. This is also the stat that allows a character to call someones' bluff effectively, or to notice people attempting to be sneaky. The best descriptor of what WIS is like is a, "sixth sense". Charisma - abreviated to CHA. This is how likeable your character is. It determines whether or not he's a wallflower or the leader. Many people also link charisma to beauty, but the two do not go hand in hand. It is also the requisite stat for Bards and Sorcerers. These are the stats of D&D. Ask for more info on one and I'll explain further. To generate a set of stats for a character you will need a 6-sided dice. roll that dice 4 times for each stat, discarding the lowest number rolled for each set of 4. This will give you a number between 3 and 18, with an average result of 12-13. Each race can further mondify this number, taking in to a possible 1 or 20 (if you are only using what is in the PHB). INT however can never be modified to below 3 by racial penalties. If it would, it becomes 3. When you roll stats, take each number you rolled and place it where you like (that is, each total number of a given set of 4 dice). Once you've rolled stats, choose a race to be. There are advantages and disadvantages to each one. Pick a character class from the PHB; read the abilities and perform them as appropriate for the situation. You won't play the game perfectly the first try. Don't worry about it, no one does. It'll take quite some time to learn, but it is a very fun game to play with your friends and family. If it helps, think of it as acting, but with a game tied to it. Also, someone will have to be the DM (or dungeon master) to run the game that you will be playing in. You might think this is the worst "job" for the game, but with time you will see that you get to lay out a story, play all the orcs and other badguys, as well as all the good guys your friends will meet.
cordyghast 01-15-08, 11:54 PM	thanks a bunch this really helped out.